Button Assistive Device

ABSTRACT

An assistive device for releaseably engaging a button and manipulating it into and out of a button hole is disclosed. The device is preferably provided as a continuous metal wire structure. The structure defines a receiving aperture for receiving and slideably engaging a button between the lower surface of the button and the fabric on which the button is affixed by means of threaded button stitches whereby the threaded stitches slide between one of a pair of opposing sets of rails, thereby permitting the user to easily manipulate the button into and out of a button hole.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U. S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/511,864, filed on Jul. 26, 2011, entitled “E-ZButton-Up, Aids in Buttoning a Shirt or Blouse,” pursuant to 35 USC 119,which application is incorporated fully herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to the field of buttons and buttoningaccessories. More specifically, the invention relates to an assistivedevice for releaseably securing a button and passing through a buttonhole.

2. Description of the Related Art

Buttons are among the most common of clothing and fabric fasteningdevices due in part to their simplicity, low cost, durability andfunctionality. As is well known, a button is typically affixed to afabric surface by one or more threaded stitches and a complementarybutton hole or aperture provided on an opposing fabric surface having anaperture length that is substantially equal to or slightly greater thanthe diameter of the button in which it is inserted. To affix the button,a peripheral (i.e., side) surface of the button is manipulated angularlythrough the button hole and released so that the lower button surface isco-planar with the fabric surface comprising the button hole. In thismanner, the button, now planar with the opposing fabric surface, cannotreadily be drawn back through the button hole.

To disengage the button, the user must manipulate the button by graspingit, turning it angularly relative to the button hole and sliding aperipheral surface of the button into the button hole and finallymanipulate the button itself out through the button hole.

While the above steps are sufficiently common so that few users activelythink about them, there exists a substantial population that hasdifficulty with this simple manual task. Elderly individuals, post-handor post-wrist surgery patients, arthritis sufferers, carpal tunnelsufferers and those with muscular, neurological or visual disorders ordevelopmental disabilities all have an increased difficulty in theeveryday task of the physical manipulation of a button into or out of abutton hole.

What is needed to address the above concerns is a low-cost, simple anddurable device to permit the efficient manipulation of a button into andout of a button hole, which needs are addressed by the instantinvention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An assistive device for releaseably engaging a button and manipulatingit into and out of a button hole is disclosed.

The device is preferably provided as a continuous metal wire structure.The structure defines a receiving aperture for receiving and slideablyengaging a button between the lower surface of the button and the fabricon which the button is affixed by means of threaded button stitcheswhereby the threaded stitches slide between one of a pair of opposingpairs of rails, thereby permitting the user to easily manipulate thebutton into and out of a button hole.

In a first aspect of the invention, an assistive device for guiding abutton through a button-hole is provided comprising a frame memberdefining a receiving aperture, which preferably is centrally disposedalong the longitudinal axis of the frame. The frame may comprise a pairof opposing and spaced-apart receiving aperture portions defining afirst spaced-apart distance, a first elongate retaining aperturecomprising a first pair of substantially parallel and spaced-apart railportions connected by a first terminal end portion, and a secondelongate retaining aperture comprising a second pair of substantiallyparallel and spaced-apart rail portions connected by a second terminalend portion so that the first and second pair of rail portions define asecond spaced-apart distance.

In the preferred embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, thesecond spaced-apart distance defined by the respective rail pairs issubstantially equal but the invention is not limited to such aconfiguration. By way of example and not by limitation, the first railportions may define a second spaced-apart distance that is less than orgreater than a third spaced-apart distance defined by the second pair ofrail members.

In a second aspect of the invention, the first spaced-apart distance isabout ½ of an inch.

In a third aspect of the invention, the second spaced-apart distance isabout 3/16 of an inch.

In a fourth aspect of the invention, the first terminal end portion andthe second terminal end portion are spaced about four (4) inches apart.

In a fifth aspect of the invention, the assistive device is fabricatedfrom a flexible material or spring metal whereby the first spaced-apartdistance can be selectively varied by a user to accommodate buttons ofvarying diameters.

In a sixth aspect of the invention, at least one of the receivingaperture portions or at least one of the rail portions is comprised of ametal wire material.

In a seventh aspect of the invention, the metal wire material is astainless steel material.

These and various additional aspects, embodiments and advantages of thepresent invention will become immediately apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art upon review of the Detailed Description and the claimsto follow.

While the claimed apparatus and method herein has or will be describedfor the sake of grammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it isto be understood that the claims, unless expressly formulated under 35USC 112, are not to be construed as necessarily limited in any way bythe construction of “means” or “steps” limitations, but are to beaccorded the full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definitionprovided by the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents, andin the case where the claims are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112,are to be accorded full statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the buttonassistive device of the invention.

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understoodby turning to the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments which are presented as illustrated examples of the inventiondefined in the claims. It is expressly understood that the invention asdefined by the claims may be broader than the illustrated embodimentsdescribed below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to the FIGURES wherein like numerals designate likeelements, a button assistive device for guiding a button through abutton hole is provided.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, assistive device 1 is generallycomprised of frame member 5. Frame member 5 may be fabricated from anysuitable material, not limited to a metal material or plastic and in onepreferred embodiment, is fabricated from a continuous segment of 16gauge stainless steel wire material of about 0.051 inches in diameter.

Frame member 5 may be galvanized or comprised of a spring metal or bothin an alternative preferred embodiment. The frame member material shouldbe selected for appropriate physical hardness and yield strength so asto permit frame member 5 to generally return to its original shapedespite bending or twisting from use.

While the above preferred embodiment of the assistive device of theinvention is fabricated from a stainless steel or ferrous material, theconstruction of the device is not limited to same and may use any metalmaterial or alloy having desired metallurgical properties.

Alternative preferred embodiments of the device may be fabricated from,but are not limited to, the use of any suitable material whatsoever suchas a plastic, resin or polymer material in a stamping, extruding orcuring process as is known in the manufacturing arts.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment, frame member 5 defines anapproximately centrally disposed receiving aperture 10 for receiving abutton there through.

Receiving aperture 10 is comprised of a pair of opposing andspaced-apart receiving apertures portions 15 and 15′ defining a firstspaced apart distance 20. Receiving aperture portions 15 and 15′ arepreferably provided with a bend having a radius (i.e., radial intransverse cross-section) of about ¼ inch.

Frame member 5 further comprises a first elongate retaining aperture 25.

First elongate retaining aperture 25 is comprised of a first pair ofsubstantially parallel and spaced-apart rail portions 30.

First rail portions 30 are connected by a first terminal end portion 35.First terminal end portion 30 is preferably provided with a bend (i.e.,radial in transverse cross-section) having an inner diameter of about3/16 inches so as to define a second spaced-apart distance A of about3/16 inches.

Frame member 5 further comprises a second generally elongate retainingaperture 40.

Second elongate retaining aperture 40 is comprised of a second pair ofsubstantially parallel and spaced-apart rail portions 30′.

Second rail portions 30′ are connected by a second terminal end portion35′. Second terminal end portion 35′ is preferably provided with a bend(i.e., radial in transverse cross-section) having an inner diameter ofabout 3/16 inches so as to define a second spaced-apart distance A ofabout 3/16 inches.

First and second rail portions 30 and 30′ are connected to therespective aperture portions 15 and 15′ with a bend (i.e., radial intransverse cross-section) of about ⅛ inches.

In a preferred embodiment, the outer opposing surfaces of first andsecond terminal end portions 35 and 35′ are provided with a spaced-apartdistance of (i.e., the device has a longitudinal length of) about four(4) inches.

In use, the individual may grasp one of the two opposing pairs of rails,insert frame member 5 through a button hole and orient receivingaperture 10 over a button and downwardly such that the lower surface ofa button that is affixed to an article of clothing is above apertureportions 15 and 15′.

Frame member 5 is then manipulated such that the button stitching isslideably received between and disposed within one of the first orsecond elongate retaining apertures 25 or 40 defined by one of the twosets of rail portions 30 and 30′. Once the button stitching is receivedwithin an elongate retaining aperture, the user may easily manipulatethe opposing rail portions like a handle on the opposing terminal end offrame member 5 so as to manipulate the assistive device and releaseablysecured button through a button hole.

Many alterations and modifications may be made to the above describedbutton assistive device by those having ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore,it must be understood that the illustrated embodiment, the receivingaperture, rail member spacing, material and dimensions have been setforth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be takenas limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. Forexample, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of the claims forthe assistive device, its radii, length or other elements are set forthbelow in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that theinvention includes other combinations of fewer, more or differentelements, which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimedin such combinations.

The words used in this specification to describe the elements of theassistive device, its frame member and rail elements and its variousembodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonlydefined meanings, but to include by special definition in thisspecification structure, material or acts beyond the scope of thecommonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in thecontext of this specification as including more than one meaning, thenits use in a claim must be understood as being generic to all possiblemeanings supported by the specification and by the word itself.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are,therefore, defined in this specification to include not only thecombination of button assistive device elements which are literally setforth, but all equivalent structures, materials or acts for performingsubstantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtainsubstantially the same result.

In this sense, it is therefore contemplated that an equivalentsubstitution of two or more elements, for instance, rail elements,terminal end portions or receiving aperture portions may be made for anyone of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may besubstituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements ofthe assistive device of the invention may be described above as actingin certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to beexpressly understood that one or more elements from a claimedcombination can in some cases be excised from the combination and thatthe claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variationof a subcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by aperson with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, areexpressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of theclaims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one withordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of thedefined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specificallyillustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, whatcan be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates theessential idea of the invention.

1. An assistive device for guiding a button through a button-holecomprising: a frame member defining a centrally disposed receivingaperture comprising a pair of opposing and spaced-apart receivingaperture portions defining a first spaced-apart distance, a firstelongate retaining aperture comprising a first pair of substantiallyparallel and spaced-apart rail portions connected by a first terminalend portion, a second elongate retaining aperture comprising a secondpair of substantially parallel and spaced-apart rail portions connectedby a second terminal end portion, and, the first and second set of railportions defining a second spaced-apart distance.
 2. The assistivedevice of claim I wherein the first spaced-apart distance is about ½ ofan inch.
 3. The assistive device of claim 1 wherein the secondspaced-apart distance is about 3/16 of an inch.
 4. The assistive deviceof claim 1 wherein the first terminal end portion and the secondterminal end portion are about four (4) inches apart.
 5. The assistivedevice of claim 1 comprising a flexible material whereby the firstspaced-apart distance can be varied by a user.
 6. The assistive deviceof claim I wherein the receiving aperture portions and rail portions arecomprised of a metal wire material.
 7. The assistive device of claim 6wherein the metal wire material is a stainless steel material.
 8. Theassistive device of claim 6 wherein the wire metal material is a springmetal material.